Tutu barred from speaking at school
on October 8, 2007
Category: Dumb America, South Africa, Human Rights
“I am Jewish, and stifling debate and dissent [and] criticism of Israel is a disservice to all Jews, the state of Israel and the American people,” [Marv Davidov] said.
[source]
Mr Davidov was referring to the decision by St Thomas University in Minnesota not to invite Desmond Tutu. The reason the school gave was that Bishop Tutu “compares Jews in Israel to Hitler [and] in another section he questions Jewish faithfulness to God. (1)”
It is indeed a pity that those who made the decision to bar him from speaking at the school feel Israel cannot be criticised, or that people’s faith cannot be questioned.
A professor at the university who was pushing for the invitation to be accepted by the school has been “removed as director [of] the university’s justice and peace studies program. (2)” Someone was very strongly against inviting Tutu to the school, which says that Tutu “has been critical of Israel and Israeli policy regarding the Palestinians, so we talked with people in the Jewish community and they said they believed it would be hurtful to the Jewish community, because of things he’s said. (3)”
Please visit The Jewish Voice for Peace (4) and join the campaign to write to St Thomas’s president, Father Dease, about the injustice of this act, and demand the reinstatement of Professor Toffolo as head of the university’s justice and peace studies program.
The Jewish Voice for Peace further says that “the rumor of Tutu’s alleged ‘anti-Semitism’ is based entirely on a propaganda campaign waged by the extremist group, the Zionist Organization of America. Though he is outspoken in his criticism of Israel’s occupation regime, sometimes even bellicose, Tutu has never displayed anything other than deep concern for all peoples and his sympathy for Palestinians suffering under the yoke of occupation.”
See Tutu’s CV (5)
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4 Comments so far
1. omodudu
October 8th, 2007 at 10:50 pm
I thought this was hilarious too.
2. Anonymous
October 9th, 2007 at 2:35 pm
I lost all faith in Tutu when he the clergyman insisted that I as an African should be more concerned with poverty and other physical matters, then debates on matters eternal like the Anglican Church grappling with the gay marriage issue.
An activist - yes. A freedom fighter - yes. Popular - certainly. A devoted reverend - not so sure!
3. Black Looks
October 9th, 2007 at 3:59 pm
[…] Taylor (Contrary to Authority) has published a series of correspondence on the banning of Desmond Tutu from St Thomas University including his own letter to the […]
4. Herbert
October 12th, 2007 at 6:37 pm
I am an Isreal of God and so are all believers.This is a biblical fact.
The history of the Jews are littered with blood,and centuries of supression carried out both by the State and Religion.On the other hand,the history of black Africa is today by far the worst atrocities commited against any race in recorded History.
As it stands today,the religious extremists are not just fighting for the heart and soul of Jerusalem;They are not just fighting for the destruction of the state Isreal;They are primary fighting to destroy both Christianity and Judaism.
In other to win this spiritual battle,we all need to pull force together Jews,Christians and Moslems.
We share a common heritage,if we look beyond the surface.
What binds us together is stronger than what separates us.We must stop the mis-information of the young.
The Madrasas should be place where souls are harvested for peaceful living and not a hate-incubator.
It should be a house of God and not terrorist training camps.
The religious booklets should contain words of God and not man made hate idealogies.The Jews should avoid being caught in the web of fear.
They should also learn to accomodate opposing views having faith in God.They should learn to be more open to criticisms.
It is totally unfounded and baseless to accuse Archbishop Desmond Tutu of anti-semitism.
To accuse a man who himself suffered under the crushing yoke of aparthied of anti-semitism is overly misguided.
Such actions would be counter-productive to the Jewish cause.Criticism is a part life and should not be avoided for any reason.